1 in 10 Campgrounds Violate Regulations on Wastewater Processing

A file photo of a camping site in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, taken on April 12, 2020 (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — More than 10 percent of campgrounds in South Korea have breached wastewater processing regulations, data showed Tuesday.

According to a report submitted by the Ministry of Environment to Rep. Lee Joo-hwan of the People Power Party, around 11.4 percent of the 4,831 campgrounds spread across the nation violated the Sewerage Act during wastewater processing inspections conducted between 2019 and 2022.

Categorized by the nature of the violation, the majority of campgrounds exceeded discharge limits, alongside instances of other management standard infringements.

When analyzed by geographical region, the highest number of violations occurred in Gyeonggi Province (22.8 percent, 125 campgrounds) and Gangwon Province (21.7 percent, 119 campgrounds).

The environment ministry imposed fines on campgrounds 538 times and issued 384 correction orders due to Sewerage Act violations.

Furthermore, accusations were made 151 times, with the count of violations continuing to rise.

In response, the ministry intends to conduct its annual wastewater processing inspections of campsites from April to November, extending beyond the prior duration of July to September.

M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)